Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

This project aims at creating an enabling environment in the prisons for prison inmates to acquire employable skills. It also intend setting up business for exconvicts in their communities and offer them entrepreneurial guidance for the sustainance of such businesses.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if all prisoners in Ghana have access to skills training, would it impact on their rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration?

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Reoffender of recividist population is increasing steadily in the prisons. Bio-psychosocial assessment of such inmates indicates that most of them are without any formal education, employable or vocational skills which in its sense stifles their efforts to fit into the society when they are discharged. It is in this regard that the project seeks to impact inmates with rehabilitative skills whilst in safe custody.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

The solution lies in the fact that the prisons has to create an enabling environment for inmates to be fully equipped with rehabilitative skills whilst in prisons custody. such services must also transcend the boundaries of the prisons to provide assistance to such exconvits to set up small scale enterprises in their communities through the provision of capital goods and coaching in enterpreneurship. Currently the project intend saving a percentage of the proceeds from the sale the products manufactured by inmates whilst in prison and use it to purchase tools and materials needed for them to start their own businesses when they are discharged from the prison.

Awards

The project has not received any award yet.

Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

After inmates are subjected to biopsychosocial assessment, those without vocational skills and are intereseted, are signed onoto the project to be trained in kente weaving. Previously in the prisons inmates prefered doing menail jobs outside of the prison to enrolling in a vocational training in the prisons because of the monetary earning that came with the menial jobs. But currently with the kente weaving offering the opportunity for inmates to earn a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of their produce, their taste for menial jobs are changing. Moreso, their enrolment in the training workshops has in part alientated them from the pains associated with imprisonment.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

So far, the project is experiencing immense growth in the number of inmates under training and the project capital. The project started with training only one inmate but within ten months of its inception, it is training fifteen inmates. It has succeeded in attuning the minds of the inmates to be responsive towards creating a sustainable income base for themselves whilst they go on discharge. In this regard, they see themselves as preparing optmistically, to face the world that confronts them once they assume the "ec-convict" status. After their discharge the project hopes to continually offer support to ensure that they are fully reintegrated in their communities. It is hoped that the project is replicated in all prison establishments in Ghana and as well expand its scope of operation to offering varying degrees of vocational skills to all inmates.

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

It is expected that the project is replicated in all the central prisons establishments in Ghana within the next three years. The project is expected to expand its scope of operation to train inmates in shoe and sandals making, beadsmaking, and baking and Music. These projects are income generating oriented and it is expected that the profits from the sale of products are ploughed back to provide financial sustainability to the project. The project will also register inmates to sit for the National Vocational Training institute examinations for certification of their skills.

Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

The projects sustainance depends on ploughing back profits from the sale of the products. The kente cloth is very much woven into the fabric of Ghanaian society and as such has a very large customer and market base. Apparently, the project hopes to sponsor ex-convicts to set up their own businesses and charge them a percentage of their profits to sustain the project.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

Most Non governmental organisations in Ghana are focused on providing skills training to poor and needy people in the society. Though their initiative is impacting on the lives of most Ghanaians, prisoners and ex-convicts do not have the opportunity to benefit from such initiatives mostly because such organisations lack the knowledge and the skill to deal with ex-convicts. This simply defines the uniqueness of my project.

Team

Founding Story

After graduating from the University with MPhil Degree in social work, i was enlisted into the Ghana prisons service to help in the reformation of inmates. Contrary to my expectation of being scheduled as a social worker, i was appointed as the Public Relations Officer for the Western Regional Command of the Ghana prisons service. even as i mounted media platforms to educate the and solicit their support for the prisons, my conscience never stoped judging about my personal commitment to the rehabilitation of prisoners. So i then used part of my monthly salary to set up a workshop to train inmates in kente weaving in the Sekondi Central Prisons.

Team

Deputy Director of Prisons Josephine Fredua-Agyemeng: The Western Regional Commander and Officer-in-Charge of Sekondi Central Prisons
Nana Kyei: Project instructor (Volunteer)
Officers of the Sekondi Central Priosons: Help to maintain supervision at the workshop to forestall all security lapse.

Background

Please confirm how you heard about the Unilever Awards:

Facebook

Please confirm your role in the initiative (eg Founder/co-Founder) and your organisational title:

Founder

Which of the 8 UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) pre-selected for this competition does your solution relate most closely to? [select all that apply]

No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Leadership and the Unilever Awards

Please provide examples of any previous entrepreneurial initiatives you have pioneered.

I have myself been an inspiration to many people in the area of entrepreneurship. I have been the brain and motivation behind the success of such people. one typical example is the story of an unemployed lady whom i encouraged to start small catering services. Personally, i gave her seed capital for the commencement of the business and as of today, she is very happy earning her livelihood through hard working. With my coaching, she is set to establish branches in all regions in Ghana.

Beyond your existing team, who else are you working with to achieve your objectives, eg partners, advisors, mentors?